ANDALUCÍA IS THE HEART AND SOUL OF SPAIN, ITS WILD BEAUTY, ITS EPIC ARCHITECTUR

ANDALUCÍA IS THE HEART AND SOUL OF SPAIN, ITS WILD BEAUTY, ITS EPIC ARCHITECTURAL STORY AND ITS GRAND PASSIONS WRIT LARGE. Monument-strewn cities fi lled with life. A spectacular coastline that spans two oceans. Mountain wilderness areas of rare beauty. A culi- nary scene that encompasses the best of Spanish cooking, old and new. Welcome to Andalucía, Spain’s deep south and its most intoxicating region. Seville, Granada and Córdoba: visit any of these cities and you’ll quickly fall in love with Andalucía’s astonishing architectural heritage from a glorious past and its wonderful tapas culture. Elsewhere, there’s Úbeda, a little-known centre of Renaissance splendour, and Cádiz, the infectiously cheerful oldest city in Europe. Andalucía’s villages, whitewashed and set against mountain backdrops, are at their best in Las Alpujarras. But such landscapes do more than frame Andalucía’s evocative human landmarks. Their diversity is summed up in a simple statistic: mainland Spain’s highest peak, Mulhacén (3479m) in the Sierra Nevada, lies less than 100km from the country’s most dra- matic coastline, the Parque Natural de Cabo de Gata-Níjar. ANDALUCÍA JOHN BANAGAN TOP The Palacios Nazaríes at the Alhambra, Granada BOTTOM LEFT The minaret soars above the Mezquita in Córdoba BOTTOM RIGHT The whitewashed village of Válor in Las Alpujarras, Granada province JOHN ELK III INTRODUCING GRANADA CÓRDOBA 4 © Lonely Planet DAVID TOMLINSON LAS ALPUJARRAS CHRIS KNAPTON / ALAMY RONDA CABO DE GATA TOP LEFT The town of Ronda perches above El Tajo gorge TOP RIGHT Take in the simple beauty of the rooftops of Cádiz BOTTOM LEFT Hike to the coastal coves of Cabo de Gata BOTTOM CENTRE Head up the Giralda for a bird’s-eye view over Seville BOTTOM RIGHT Explore the architectural gems of Úbeda, Jaén province KARL BLACKWELL JOHN ELK III RAFAEL ESTEFANA WAYNE WALTON SEVILLE ÚBEDA CÁDIZ PATRICK SYDER LONELYPLANET.COM WHAT’S NEW? Seville’s Museo del Baile Flamenco with fl amenco performances ( p50 ) Swish new tram service around Seville ( p62 ) La Moraga, Daní García’s innovative Málaga tapas bar ( p170 ) Sabores (p132) and Hotel Chancilleria ( p386 ) in Jerez de la Frontera Hotel V, a stunning bou- tique conversion in Vejer de la Frontera ( p387 )      KARL BLACKWELL PRICE GUIDE BUDGET MIDRANGE TOP END SLEEPING < €65 €65-120 > €120 MEALS < €10 €10-25 > €25 PARKING €10/day €10-20/day €20/day ANDALUCÍA RICHARD ROSS GETTING STARTED J F M A M J J A S O N D Rainfall mm in J F M A M J J A S O N D Temp/Humidity °F °C % 100 150 0 6 4 50 2 0 50 10 32 0 86 30 104 40 68 20 100 75 50 25 0 CLIMATE: SEVILLE Average Max/Min TOP Whitewashed walls and terracotta rooftops in Cádiz province BOTTOM LEFT Semana Santa celebrations, Seville BOTTOM RIGHT Vino dulce in Ronda FAR RIGHT Take to the waves in Tarifa 8 LONELYPLANET.COM MAIN POINTS OF ENTRY MÁLAGA AIRPORT (AGP; %952 04 88 38; www.aena.es) Andalucía’s busiest airport at- tracts both international and domestic fl ights by more than 60 regular and charter airlines. SEVILLE AIRPORT (SVQ; %954 44 90 00; www.aena.es) International and domestic depar- tures, but few charter airlines. GRANADA AIRPORT (GRX; %958 24 52 07; www.aena.es) Fewer fl ights. ACCOMMODATION One of the highlights of visiting Andalucía is its architecture, and many of the region’s hotels are architectural gems in their own right. Centuries-old mansions and palaces have been converted into stunning places to stay, sometimes re-creating old-world decor or the aesthetics of Islamic Al-Andalus, but just as often revelling in ultramod- ern yet aff ordable luxury. A touch more modest perhaps, but the cool, whitewashed walls of Andalusian towns and villages conceal hotels of more rustic charm, often with high levels of comfort. For more on Andalucía’s accommodation, turn to p378 . THINGS TO TAKE Michelin’s No 578 Andalucía map (see p406 ) Warning triangles and a re- fl ective jacket if you’re going by car (see p420 ) Lonely Planet’s Spanish Phrasebook A compact pair of binoculars for wildlife-watching Clothes to cope with cold snaps between October and May      WEBLINKS ANDALUCÍA TE QUIERE (www.andalucia.org) Encyclopedic offi cial tourism site OK SPAIN (www.okspain.org) Another useful offi cial site ANDALUCIA.COM (www.andalucia.com) Excellent privately run site LONELY PLANET (www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/andalucia) Build your own itinerary IBERIA NATURE (www.iberianature.com) Devoted to Spain’s natural world DIEGO LEZAMA 9 LONELYPLANET.COM FEBRUARY/MARCH CARNAVAL CÁDIZ Cádiz celebrates Carnaval with riotous abandon as costumed street performers party for 10 days before the Tuesday 47 days before Easter Sunday. (www.carna valdecadiz.com) FESTIVAL DE JEREZ JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA Jerez’s two-week festival has fl amenco as the centrepiece of a music-and-dance- dominated program, drawing many of the biggest stars. (www.festivaldejerez.es) FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE TANGO GRANADA International tango performances and dancing in the streets from 21 to 26 March makes this one of Andalucía’s best music festivals. (www.eltango.com) APRIL SEMANA SANTA (HOLY WEEK) Semana Santa is dominated by daily pro- cessions of hooded nazarenos (penitents). Seville’s celebrations are the most intense, followed by Granada, Córdoba, Arcos de la Frontera, Baeza and Úbeda. Sometimes held in March. FERIA DE ABRIL SEVILLE Seville’s April Fair in the second half of April (sometimes into May) is the doyen of Andalucía’s ferias (fairs) with bullfi ghting, horse parades and general merriment. MAY/JUN E FERIA DEL CABALLO JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA Jerez’s weeklong horse fair, held in early May, is one of Andalucía’s biggest fes- tivals, combining the usual Andalusian merrymaking with bullfi ghts and horse competitions. ROMERÍA DEL ROCÍO EL ROCÍO This stirring pilgrimage, which takes place seven weeks after Easter, draws hundreds of thousands who arrive dressed in their Andalusian fi nest and on horseback or in festively decorated covered wagons. ANDALUCÍA FESTIVALS & EVENTS BRUCE BI TOP Hermandad (brotherhood) penitent with candle in hand as part of Semana Santa proceedings in Seville RIGHT Riding a horse as part of the family-friendly celebrations at the Feria de Abril 10 LONELYPLANET.COM HOGUERAS DE SAN JUAN Bonfi res and fi reworks, especially on beaches, are the heart of this midsummer celebration held 23 June; many thousands of people camp overnight along Anda- lucía’s beaches. FESTIVAL INTERNACIONAL DE LA GUITARRA CÓRDOBA Flamenco is the focus of this two-week guitar festival in late June or early July, but you’ll also hear live classical, rock and blues performances. (www.guitarracordoba.com) AUGUST FERIA DE MÁLAGA MÁLAGA The pick of Andalucía’s summer ferias, Málaga’s nine-day version has it all: fi re- works, rock and fl amenco concerts, and round-the-clock music and dancing. SEPTEMBER BIENAL DE FLAMENCO SEVILLE Spain’s fl amenco stars enliven this major fl amenco festival in September of even- numbered years. The Alcázar provides the wonderful backdrop for many of the performances. FERIA DE PEDRO ROMERO RONDA Ronda comes alive during the fi rst two weeks of September with the fl amenco Festival de Cante Grande and the Corridas Goyescas (bullfi ghts in antique fi nery). FIESTAS DE OTOÑO JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA Jerez’s autumn fi estas coincide with the grape harvest for two weeks in Septem- ber, with fl amenco, horse events and the traditional treading of the fi rst grapes. BRUCE BI 11 LONELYPLANET.COM BOOKS THE ORNAMENT OF THE WORLD (Maria Rosa Meno- cal) A fascinating look at the tolerance and sophistication of the region during Andalucía’s Islamic centuries. SOUTH FROM GRANADA (Gerald Brenan) An acutely perceptive account of village life in Las Alpujarras during the 1920s. DRIVING OVER LEMONS (Chris Stewart) The entertain- ing, anecdotal, bestselling tale of life on a small Andalusian farm in Las Alpujarras. TALES OF THE ALHAMBRA (Washington Irving) Enchant- ing stories from inside Grana- da’s abandoned Alhambra in the 1820s. GETTING TO MAÑANA (Miranda Innes) One of the best books about starting a new life in an Andalusian farmhouse. PAUL BERNHARDT FLAMENCO Flamenco is the sound of Andalucía. Sometimes melancholy, sometimes joyful, but always soulful, fl amenco has become a byword for the passions of Andalusian life. You’ll hear it across the region, from beautifully tiled Seville patios to renovated Arab-era water cisterns in Almería. But its true home is around Seville, Jerez de la Frontera and Cádiz: it’s in their working-class barrios – Jerez’s Barrio de Santiago or Cádiz’s Barrio de Santa María – where fl amenco stays true to its roots. That’s not to say that fl amenco is stuck in the past. The fl amenco stars of the 1980s pioneered some wonderful fl amenco fusion and nuevo fl a- menco that continue to breathe new life into the fl amenco world. But it’s in the smoky peñas – as much meeting places for fl amenco afi cionados as for live performances – that you’ll most likely catch its spirit. See p354 for more. ANDALUCÍA CULTURE BRUCE BI TOP Semana Santa procession, Seville BOTTOM An evening of fl amenco in Cádiz RIGHT The bullring at Ronda is considered the region’s fi nest FAR RIGHT The grandeur of typical bullfi ghting posters 12 LONELYPLANET.COM TOP ARCHITECTURAL LANDMARKS ALHAMBRA, GRANADA Andalucía’s high uploads/Geographie/ andalucia-travel-guide.pdf

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